EVOLUTION AND VARIATION 63 



a home on this planet, been brought into 

 existence. 



The first primitive chemosynthetic half-plant, 

 half-animal life forms without doubt commenced 

 self-expression in and near water, as we also now 

 find them. These lower forms most often multi- 

 ply by spontaneous breaking to pieces by fission 

 or simple division, and many plants and some 

 animals even, which belong to the higher orders, 

 still retain this power to a certain extent, but 

 no race of either plants or animals ever made 

 any great evolutionary advances until they had 

 adopted a better, more specialized and more 

 economical means. The most ancient races of 

 these early forms very closely resembled those 

 now in existence. 



The primitive plan of self-division into equal 

 or many parts, when replaced by the more eco- 

 nomical and far more effective one of specialized 

 cells to accomplish the same purpose, also made 

 possible the great variety of life which now exists 

 before us. The change from the old to the new 

 plan was not immediately adopted by all life by 

 any means. Ages passed before the liverworts 

 and ferns appeared, which are among the earlier 

 forms of true plant life. These bear no real 

 seeds, and the specialized cells are dependent 

 upon rains or other moving water to carry them 



